The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-08
THE CRIME OF COY'S GANG
Work of the Men Who Are Backing
Doctor Edenharter for Mayor.
What the Gang Hopes the People Will In
dorse-SWorn Story of the Tally-Sheet
Forgeries Committed Last November.

In the conspiracy trial, in July last. Samuel
E. Perkins testified that after he procured, al
the instigation of Coy, the election papers from
Allen Hisey of the Second precinct of the Thir-
teenth ward, he went back to Coy. 81 went
with him." continued mr.. Perkins, least in the
hall to room at the east end of the building.
Mr. Coy took from his pocket key. opened the
door and went in with him. When we got in
there, he said the candidate for criminal judge
was about eighty votes behind and desired me-
to make change. He said he thought that pre-
cinct could stand a change of sixteen votes each
way and asked me to take a knife and erase tai
lies from Judge Irwin and place them on those OF
Judge Ayres. He furnished me a knife and
changed the sheets. taking from Irwin sixteen
votes and adding them to the vote for Ayres.
When first begun he stood and leaned over the
table. watching what was doing. Before 1
concluded he went out Of the room He came
back again by himself. A few moments after
Coy went out, some body tried the door. 1t was
John Reardon, who brought in a man named
Flynn. He wen. over and sat down by the
window, and began reading paper
In regard to the papers of Matter, Mr. Perk-
ms said either Mattler or Coy gave them to him
to make change, ard that he changed it on
criminal Judge, "ether twenty five or thirty
votes" IL rehearsing the incidents Or the morn
canvass
said: Il did nothing with any other myself
than these two. l went over to the courthouse
in the morning and met Mr.. Hisey standing
upon the steps, waiting with his returns sealed
up in~the bag He went in with me to the coun-
ty clerk and he receipted for them and filed them
away. Hisey then went up stairs. A short
time after that the board of canvassers was or
ganized. Mr.. Hisey did not have the outside pa
pers. They had been taken away by the judge
two nights before. SO | went to one or two gen.
tlemen and finally to Mr.. Landers. The returns
Mr. "a I'd ware in
dition ours. I asked him to make motion
that the bags be sent for in precincts where
there were outside papers. He made the mo-
ton. When he made it Span came to me and
said: What in nj are you doing. to make
that motiona How are we to use these altered
taily-papers if the bags used? That was
all that was of that motion. The next transac-
ton I related hero before. Mr.. Coy stated to
me they behind with the candidate for
criminal judge. and asked me if could get the
tally papers from my precinct and help them
out. l went to Mr.. Hisey. got the papers, and
tSsk them to the room with Mr.. Coy. After Mr..
MatrsSr came in, Mr. Smith Myers came in.
Then in the next two three minutes Mr..
Daniel Burton came in. He walked up and
down the room two or three times and said. My
God,' this is place for me- and went out.
When went out left Smith Myers and Coy in
the room. went to the canvassing room. On
the way Mr. Beck came up with tally-sheet
under his coat He asked me to take 1t and al
ter it. said that he was as able as and that
bad done my snare. HAD Mr.. Coy's knife and
gave it TO Mr.. Beck. and he went into Mr.. Coy's
Coy came back to me after while and
said Matter had become frightened. | asked
him why, and Coy said because the certificate
was not changed to correspond with the tally
sheet. and the ink was not of the same color.
Coy said he would go down to the Grand Hotel
and get Mr.. Reardon to get ink from the same
parties who furnished the ink for the election
boards. / met DR.. Metcalf on the steps of the
Court house. / asked il Ee knew of acid.
He said he would go and I went down to
his Office With him. He had acid. He
took match and tried some of it envelope,
and it seemed work pretty we'll. We then :
started up the street together, and told Metcaf
that Coy at his room in the Grand Hotel.
Metcalf left me at the Of Illinois street.
and / went to the Courthouse. After that /
went the Grand Hotel. Coy was in his room
with his feet MP on the table, and said he was
ready for business While there Reardon came
in with bottle OF ink. l went back to the
Courthouse few moments, and went home to
supper. During the time were in this room
Coy stated there $500 in it to the Liquor
League and might we'll have it. I have
had very little conversation with Henry Spaan
in regard to the fund to be used in influencing
the grand jury of this court After the
investigation before Commissioner Van
Buren,, Span left a note on my table
for at my Office to to his Office at once.
went down and he took me into back room.
He said he wanted some money and wanted it
bad-wanted $50 at once. l did not have it
then. After dinner he WAS at my Office and l
gave 1t to him. After | had my litigation in the
United States Court and went to JAIL asked
Henry If he didn't think they ought to pay my
expenses He said they had raised $1.400, and
huence men down in the country districts at
their homes" Returning to the morning the
votes were canvassed, Perkins said: while
was sitting in the canvassing room. DR.. Metcalf
came TO me and asked if the Fourth ward was
in said, No He said. 1t will be a dandy
when it comes John E. Sullivan, during the
upper precinct in my ward. I asked him if he
hadn't enough. He said, Yes but he wanted
to get some for his friends"
The men to whom Mr. &Perkins chiefly refers
sha hacR Of